After receiving an email from Google, it seems this has been on Google Maps for 2 years.

UPDATE: Apparently it a “Mapplet” that was created back in 2007, based on technology unveiled at Developer Day in Sydney in May that year (http://www.itnews.com.au/Tools/Print.aspx?CIID=82519) and has been publicly available in the Google Maps directory ever since.

I have never noticed it. and it does say it is from Google. Fool am I!

About Peter J Ricci

Peter Ricci is the Director of Agentpoint.com.au, Business2.com.au, Ginga.com.au and ZooProperty.com and has been involved in designing and developing real estate systems and websites since 1997. In July 2001 Peter founded Business2.com.au to help real estate agents better understand the power of the Internet and the real estate landscape in Australia and New Zealand. Since then he has penned over 300 articles on a variety of subjects in the real estate technology industry. Business2.com.au is now the leading real estate technology site in Australasia.

As I said, Peter, this was running on and off last year and then disappeared for some reason until I noticed it earlier today.

The way Google works, let’s hope some agents get onto it and start loading to http://base.google.com to pressure them to keep it afloat this time around and via the Google.com.au ‘Search options’ as wellas Google.com (which is currently displaying the Real estate search option while .com.au isn’t).

And then let’s see how your rate hikes affect your market position Mr. Realestate.com.au!

Might be time to start sticking it to Google like that part of the tech World that refers to them as ‘The Evil Empire’ (more so than Microsoft can you believe!!) Why?
They’ve taken the Real estate search option off again!!
What is going on? !Surely Google hasn’t been pressured by News Ltd. to go easy on real estate. Just because News Ltd. owns:
Realestate.com.au,
MySpace,
True Local (who has a deal to populate Google’s local search and as a result gets higher ranking for their listings),
etc

I am considering setting up a service where agents can upload their properties to Google Base very easily. Basically they would upload to an ftp in REAXML format and it would then upload them to Google Base. I want it to be as low friction for agents as possible. I am interested in hearing people opinions on this and if they want to be a tester.

The mapplet was probably a workaround to get the Aussie properties on the US version of base to display on the Australian version of maps.

As Sal has pointed out searching for Australian properties on google Maps US has started working again. Sal reported this late last year but as soon as it worked it stopped. I certainly could not get it to show. I could go to Google Base US and search the properties but I could not get them to display on google maps, either the US or AU versions.

It has now started working again. I am hoping this is an indicator that they are starting to setup the mapping of Australian Real Estate addresses. Obviously it is not Google Base AU nor is it Google’s real estate solution for Australia, but it hopefully is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Whatever it is no one can deny that they are obviously working on some form of real estate model tailor made for purchasers,vendors and agents (just taking their time).

In the meantime agents/agencies should be working hard on getting their websites Google compliant because never before has SEO been as important.

As for being described as an Evil Empire – that would apply to existing property portals opinion of Google. As Google already delivers more traffic and enquiries than any of the existing property portals. When I look at our Google Analytics traffic sources – direct is number one, Google/organic is number two, domain.com.au number 7 and REA at 13. So that provides a very strong clue:)

I’m in favour of anything assisting vendors to market more widely at less expense and at the moment as Robert and Glenn have discussed several times, Realestate.com.au + the other portals are actually costing a fair whack nowadays and don’t help agents market their own websites and individual properties as this detracts from their ‘fenced’ portals.
And don’t forget the + the ‘uploader/management service providers’ e.g. Hubonline, Portplus, etc etc, who could all do with severe rate reductions!

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